When worlds collide: Bridging the tech facilitated abuse knowledge gap across industries

As cyber threats increase, their impacts are being felt by everyday Australians in ways that are often invisible to much of the cyber security profession. Technology-facilitated abuse (TFA), digital stalking, coercive control and online harassment disproportionately affect women and people from vulnerable communities, yet these harms rarely align with the threat models and environments most cyber professionals are trained to address. At the same time, Australia’s cyber workforce education has become increasingly formalised, with a strong emphasis on standards, compliance and enterprise-scale risk, which is an approach largely designed for large corporate contexts.

Many practitioners working in cyber today developed their skills through opportunistic, experience-led learning and experimentation, rather than formal pathways. In contrast, current education and training models leave smaller not-for-profits, community organisations and frontline practitioners without adequate support, while everyday citizens remain exposed. 

This represents a wicked problem: cyber risk is embedded in social systems, relationships and lived experience, with no single sector accountable for addressing it. Solving it requires expanding how we define cyber capability, who we consider part of the workforce, and where valuable skills are developed.

This presentation recommends that community aligned cyber roles represent an under recognised workforce pathway. A way that not only addresses real-world harm, but also contributes to career sustainability and talent retention in the sector. Community related cyber work often offers purpose, connection and visible impact, factors that retain practitioners differently from traditional corporate roles and reduce burnout in a high-pressure industry.

The presentation reflects on a cross industry collaboration between Wesnet and the Australian Women’s Security Network (AWSN), delivered with support from the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs. Grounded in a shared commitment to the safety, wellbeing and agency of women, the partnership sought to bridge gaps between cyber security professionals and domestic and family violence practitioners responding to technology facilitated abuse. AWSN brings expertise in cyber education, gender diversity and building capability across the security sector, while Wesnet, as a peak body for specialist domestic and family violence services, has decades of experience equipping frontline workers to support women experiencing TFA.

Through a series of webinars and online resources, the collaboration focused on mutual upskilling, while supporting practitioners to better understand digital risk and protective security features, while enabling cyber professionals to develop literacy in trauma informed practice, survivor centred responses and real world threat contexts. 

This presentation is a reflection on the learnings and practical insights that emerged, including how language, assumptions and threat models differed, and what was required to translate technical knowledge into meaningful, community safe outcomes.